Aryna Sabalenka has laid down a marker ahead of her Australian Open defence, crushing Lucia Bronzetti at the Brisbane International.
The Belarusian showed a ruthless edge on Wednesday as she brushed aside the Italian inside an hour with a dominant 6-3 6-0 victory.
The second-round win was Sabalenka's first match in Australia since winning her first grand slam last year, which was followed by a runner-up finish at Roland Garros and semi-final berths at the US Open and Wimbledon.
It marked a breakthrough year for the 25-year-old, who arrived in Brisbane as the tournament's top seed.
The world No.2 was dislodged at the top of the rankings by Poland's Iga Swiatek following a loss at the WTA Finals late last year, but she has vowed to fight tooth and nail to hold on to her Australian Open crown.
"I'm super happy with the performance," Sabalenka said on Wednesday.
"I hope that I can keep the same level of each match or go even better.
"I'm happy to be back. I have a lot of good memories since the Australian Open, and I want to do my best to replicate the result from last year."
If she were to defend her Australian Open title, Sabalenka would become the first female since compatriot Victoria Azarenka (2012 and 2013) to win back-to-back titles in Melbourne.
Sabalenka's return to Australia nearly got off to the worst possible start when she was forced to save a break point in the first set of the match in Brisbane.
But from there she clicked into gear, with Sabalenka's second set showing all her champion qualities as she dropped just five points.
In the third round Sabalenka faces the winner of the match between 15th seed Lin Zhu and Danielle Collins.
